Pros and Cons of Hybrid Cars

Hybrid cars have been introduced to help combat pollution. They are more energy efficient and more environmentally-friendly than conventional cars.

What is a hybrid car?

A hybrid vehicle contains an electric motor and a gasoline motor to rotate the wheels. At low speeds, the electric motor is used and when travelling at high speeds the gasoline motor kicks in. With this mechanism, fuel is used efficiently as petrol is only burnt when it is needed and when the electric motor cannot cope with the demand.

Pros of the hybrids

More efficient
Electric motors use no energy when idle and consume less energy at low speeds. However gas motors do much better at higher speeds and can deliver much more power. When the two are combined, you get the strengths of both and overcome their weaknesses. That's why for speeds more than 40mph, control is switched to the gas motor.

No need for charging the car
The problem with an electric car is that it must be charged by connecting it to an outlet. However with the hybrid car, the gas motor will charge the batteries while it is running. So you can just drive your car without having to worry about recharging.

Less pollution
Because of the energy efficiency of the hybrid car and the fact that it uses petrol only when required, it reduces CO2 emissions in the environment and causes less pollution.

Save money on fuel
Driving in the city in the hybrid Toyota Prius for example, can get you around 60 miles for the gallon while doing the same with a conventional car will only get you 30 miles. That's twice as much that you end up saving!

Cons of the hybrids

Not wide variety of choices
Although hybrid cars are very efficient, there are not many models on the market. Maybe in a few years time, things may look a lot brighter but for the time being the choice is very restricted.

Hybrid batteries
Although the batteries have a guarantee of around 8 years, they can be very expensive to replace if your warranty has expired.

Cost of maintenance
Whether you are having problems with the electric engine or the hybrid part of your car, the repair bills can be very high because of the complexity of the system.

Safety during accident
The battery in a hybrid vehicle is much bigger and the high voltage can be dangerous during an accident. Having the batteries automatically shut down in the event of an accident is what manufacturers are trying to do at the moment.